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Arms Offences Act
The Arms Offences Act is a statute of the Parliament of Singapore that criminalizes the illegal possession of arms and ammunition and the carrying, trafficking, and usage of arms. The law is designed specifically to make acts of ownership, knowingly receiving payment in connection with the trade of a trafficked armaments and ammunition, as well as the unlawful usage of arms and ammunition a criminal offence. Overview The Arms Offences Act is an Act to deter unlawful ownership, trafficking and usage of arms and ammunition. It was originally enacted in 1973. The Arms Offences Act defines the punishment to be meted out for different scenarios of violations, and serves as an instrument for imprisoning and caning of offenders. Apart from unlawful possession of arms or ammunition, illegal usage of arms in particular the committing of a scheduled offence, the Act also prescribes punishment for accomplices and individuals that consort with offenders and traffickers. Penalties Anyone caught unlawfully possessing a gun or ammunition can be jailed up between five and 10 years, and given at least six strokes of the cane, according to the Arms Offences Act. Anyone caught using an illegal firearm faces a death penalty. Arms traffickers also face the death penalty, or they can be jailed for life and given at least six strokes of the cane. Some of these requirements include a genuine reason for possessing a gun, and the ability to prove that there is a "serious threat to his life and no other way of overcoming/removing the threat". Uses of the Act Until November 1993, firing a gun during a crime was punishable by execution only if the intention is to cause a physical injury. The law was amended to make death penalty for using or trying to use a firearm, which is considered dangerous. A man who fired seven shots while robbing a jewellery shop has been given death sentence, which is Lim Chwee Soon. He was of unsound mind and didn't intend to fire his pistol during the robbery last October, the Straits Times reported today. A sales manager was shot and injured on 30 October 1995. He also stole Rolex watches before fleeing on stolen motorcycle. He was arrested in Kuala Lumpur on 1 November 1995 and extradited to Singapore. On 26 September 1995, four robbers also used the gun to shoot at King George's Avenue. Since November 2012, the death penalty laws in Singapore were revised such that for murder cases, the discretionary sentence applies to those who committed murder but did not intend to kill. As an example, Jabing Kho was given a life sentence after he beat a Chinese construction worker Cao Ruyin to death with a tree branch and robbing Cao of his mobile phone. Cao died from brain injuries six days later. Kho was eventually given the death penalty as he had acted in a way which exhibits viciousness or a blatant disregard for human life. Kho's appeal for clemency was rejected in October 2015 by President Tony Tan Keng Yam. Muhammad Kadar was convicted of murder for stabbing an elderly woman more than 110 times. He was denied re-sentencing on 29 Sept 2014 and given the death sentence for intending to cause death. Muhammad Iskandar Sa'at was also charged in June 2015 under the Arms Offences Act after discharging three rounds from a .38-calibre Taurus revolver at a policeman in a private room at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital during a struggle in the hospital room. He had allegedly also hit the police officer repeatedly with a T-baton and a metal pole used for securing an intravenous drip. Muhammad Iskandar Sa'at is pending the capital punishment as of 2016. See also Capital Punishment in Singapore References External links *(CHAPTER 14) Category:Singaporean criminal law Category:Singaporean legislation